Mistakes and Miracles
by musicalreader
Summary: The final chapter is here at last! i hope you enjoy it. as always, sucky summary, but if you like closure in a story, then READ THIS NOW!  Happy Reading,  musicalreader
1. Chapter 1

_**Mistakes and Miracles**_

Part 1 of 4

**The News…**

This day just wouldn't end… Simon had been sitting in his office for hours trying to get past this one programming error and had so far his only achievement had been wasting his lunch break. While he was waiting for the latest scan to run its course, he reflected on what had pushed him from his love of science into computers. As he sat there contemplating where his life had gone off course, his cell phone buzzed to life. He checked the display and was glad to see that it was his brother Theo.

"Hey man, how's it going? Everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything's going fine. Me and Ellie are just sitting here watching the kids." He replied on the other end.

"So how are my little nephews and niece?"

"Well, they had their eighth birthday last week you know, and then Colin found our old concert videos the other day and is still watching them upstairs on the computer." Theo said laughingly.

"No way, does he think we were any good?" Simon inquired, a twinge of sadness at the memory of those fun years playing with the guys and their friends, now gone and all but forgotten.

"Well, he keeps laughing, so I think he's enjoying himself."

"That's great. Well what about my goddaughter? Is she staying out of trouble?"

"You could say that." Theo conceded, "She's stopped locking the boys in their rooms when they annoy her."

"Wow, it sounds like she's in charge of things to me." he joked, "So Colin is watching our old videos, and Cindy is behaving, what about your youngest? Is Matt still cooking?"

"Oh yeah," Theo answered, "Ellie and I take turns showing him how to cook and bake, and he loves it. I let him use the beater the other day and the kitchen was covered in cookie dough."

Simon laughed at the thought of little Matt making such a big mess. "That sounds great Theo. But I take it you didn't call me to talk about cookie dough kitchens… what's up?"

"Well, Ellie just got off the phone with Britney and now she's calling Jeanette with the news. I figured I'd let you know." He offered.

"News? What about?" Simon asked, slightly concerned.

"Well, you know how she's been seeing this guy for about a year now?"

"Yes…" Simon replied, trying not to also mention that it hurt every time he thought about it.

"Well, he proposed to her this morning and she said yes."

Simon felt the floor drop out from beneath his feet. He had been anticipating something to do with Brit, but to him, this was horrible. His mind shut down and took him back to when his sadness had begun, ten years ago in their senior year of High School…

**Simon and Britney were sitting on the hill overlooking the athletics field. The sun was setting in the distance and they had just finished their final exams for the year. Things couldn't have been more perfect for them as they sat in the grass holding each other. But something was clawing inside Simon's heart that ruined the mood for him, and she could tell…**

"**What's wrong Si?" she asked from her spot in the grass beside him.**

"**I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately…" he began,**

**"Well that's never good." She joked, smiling up at him.**

"**No it isn't." he agreed before continuing, "You know how people say that after graduation, everything changes?"**

"**Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"**

"**I just feel… I don't know, weird about the whole thing is all." He admitted, having trouble finding the right words.**

**"Simon," Britney comforted, putting her arms around him and pulling him close, "You are the smartest guy in school and you're going out with the most popular girl in the county… what is there to feel weird about? You're living the High School dream…"**

"**That's just it, I'm living the High School dream, but we're going to college in a few months. Different colleges…"**

"**And you're worried it won't work?" she inquired, "Is that it?"**

"**Not exactly, I just don't want to constantly worry that some guy is going to steal you from me." Simon said, shrugging off her embrace and standing up.**

**"I won't flirt with any guys Simon, and besides, I'll be just worried about what you're up to while you're off to MIT."**

"**Maybe… no, forget it. It's stupid." He started to say, looking off into the distance over the town.**

**"Simon, what were you thinking?" Brit asked, slightly scared of what he was going to say.**

"**I was just thinking, logically, if we weren't together, then we wouldn't have to worry about the other one getting taken by someone else…" he confessed stupidly.**

**"So you think we should break up now rather than the possibility of one of us having an affair?" She summed up furious that he had even entertained the concept, let alone suggested it.**

"**Britney, please don't take that the wrong way, I didn't mean it… it was a stupid idea." He said hurriedly, trying to keep her from freaking out.**

"**You're right," she said quietly, "It was a stupid idea. But it told me a lot about you just now Simon… you'd rather give up on something than risk it on the slim chance that things would go wrong."**

"**Britney…" he said, but realized that nothing he could say would change her mind.**

**"It's over Simon. If you don't even want to trust me alone, or you don't trust yourself not to act like Alvin around all those college girls, then we're through. Good luck on your graduation speech Saturday…"**

**And just like that, she got up and left the hill, and Simon, behind… alone. He watched her until she was completely out of sight, and even then he stared after her, complete shock numbing his very being. The one truly beautiful thing in his life had just walked out on him, and he stood there.**

"Simon?" Theodore called out over the phone, "You still alive there?"

"Yeah Theo, I'm here…" he said snapping out of his most painful memory.

"So? You're going to the wedding right?"

"Yeah… tell Britney I'll be there." He said, trying to sound happy.

"Cool. Oh, and don't forget that our birthday is coming up this Friday. I know you forget things a lot with your job, but Alvin and I are going to the bar, so you'd better be there too." He warned, trying to sound intimidating to his brother.

"I'll be there Theo. Sounds like I'll have a lot to drink to." He joked, only half serious.

"Okay then, I'll let Britney know you'll be there at the wedding, now get back to work Mr. Science Man." Theo said before hanging up.

Simon put the phone back on the receiver and sat there in his chair, still mulling over all the news he had just gotten. Britney was getting married… he was turning 28… what the hell was he going to do? He put his hands to his face and groaned as he leaned back in his seat and tried to figure out where to start.

Should he try and at least tell Britney how he really felt? After all these years, would she even remember their time together, let alone want to hear him out? It was too much. He grabbed his jacket and sped out of the office, "I just need some space to think…" he kept telling himself as he drove out of the company parking lot and off to his apartment where he could at least stew in peace…

_**There you have it… the first part of Mistakes and Miracles. Any questions? please send them to me via Personal Message. Otherwise, like it, love it, hate it, leave a review. That goes for the Anonymous readers as much as the Members. I love input, so feel free to tell me what you think. I'll also post a time line if anyone is interested… until next update,**_

Happy Reading,

Musicalreader


	2. Chapter 2

_**Mistakes and Miracles**_

Part 1 of 4

**The Reception…**

Britney was on cloud nine, the morning had started out great when her boyfriend had asked her out for a breakfast date at their favorite diner. Then it got even better when he got down on one knee and proposed. There was no way she could have said no, especially when she looked into his icy blue eyes and his anxious look. She said yes and when she got to her office with the ring on her finger, all of her coworkers agreed that she should call her family. While she dialed her sisters number, she stared off into space and remembered when she had imagined getting married. When the other end picked up, she heard Theo instead of Ellie.

"Hello?" he asked, clearly not recognizing the number.

"Hey Theo, are you busy?"

"No, not especially…Why?"

"Well, you know my boyfriend?" she asked.

"That guy…Mike?" he guessed halfheartedly.

"Yes, Mike. Anyway, this morning, he proposed and I said yes!"

The line was silent for a little while, then suddenly, she heard, "Are you kidding me?"

"Nope, we're getting married!" she replied laughing.

"That's great Britney!" he congratulated, genuinely happy for her. "I guess you'll want to tell Eleanor?"

"Could you put her on?" she asked.

"No problem." He responded, handing the handset to her sister.

When she had told Ellie the news, her reaction being just slightly off of _**scary happy**_, she hung up and looked at the next name on her list of contacts. As she dialed in the number for Simon, she wondered why she hadn't heard from him in ages. Then the phone picked up and she heard his voice.

"Hey Britney, what's up?" he asked, sounding depressed.

"I was just calling to see how my friends are doing and to share some big news." She explained, trying to cheer him up at least a little from whatever was on his mind. "What are you doing?"

""I'm trying to get this one damn program to work correctly. Oh and by the way, congratulations." He answered

"For what?" she asked.

"You got engaged today right? Congratulations."

She sat there stunned for a second… "How the hell did you find out so fast?" she wondered out loud.

"Theo told me, actually just a few seconds before you called. I was wondering if I was still invited though." He said, still sounding really upset.

"Why wouldn't you be invited to the wedding Simon?" she asked, now as confused as he sounded sad. "You're my best friend, why wouldn't you be there for the big day?"

"I guess because when we broke up you seemed really pissed at me." He explained.

"Oh… I see. Simon, I wasn't mad at you. I was mad at your attitude. You've always been my best friend and you always will be, regardless of what happens." She consoled, finally understanding,

"Gee, thanks…" he replied sarcastically, much to Britney's surprise.

"Well, just so you know, we haven't set a date yet, but I'm definitely thinking sometime in the next 8 or 10 months."

"Okay, so that's what… spring?" he guessed.

"Yeah, I guess it is." She answered, "And it would mean a lot to me if you showed up Simon. So will you be there?"

"Sure, why not?" he answered.

"Great, now I have to break the news to Mom, but I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Sure Brit. You take care now." Simon answered before hanging up the phone and putting his head down on his desk. Why the hell did she have to do this to him?

_**Over the next few months leading up to the wedding, Britney positively glowed while Simon seemed to visibly dim as each day passed. Nevertheless, he always seemed to smile when he was with Britney making all the preparations. Something about seeing her so happy actually seemed to make him forget all his regrets. On the one hand, he was happy that she was happy, on the other, he was absolutely livid that he had lost any shot with her years ago and she had clearly moved on. Finally, the day of the wedding came and after a beautiful service, Simon biting his tongue at the "object now or forever hold your peace" bit, and the final kiss, the whole wedding party filed into the rented hotel ballroom and the party started going.**_

Alvin tapped his fork against the champagne glass and silence fell across the hall of people at their tables. When everyone was looking at him, he smiled and began to speak, "I've known Britney since she was a little kid, hanging out with her sisters and us three." He began, motioning to Theodore, Simon and himself, "And in all those years, I can honestly say that I have never been as happy for her as I am now. I wish you both the best and I hope your day are filled with all the joy you deserve."

"Damn Alvin," Theo commented when he sat down, "You were laying it on thick there don't you think?"

"Nah, besides, it's their wedding, this is one of those times when I have to behave and play nice. Hey, where did Simon run off to?" he asked, looking at the empty seat that had just recently held his younger brother.

"He got up to go to the open bar…" Theo answered, shaking his head in dismay, "I swear… he hasn't been himself since he heard about the engagement."

"Well, do you think he's jealous?" Alvin guessed.

"Jealous? Why would he be jealous? Britney and he broke up years ago. If he still had feelings for her, I'm pretty sure that he would have made them know by now."

"Still, it's weird, he's always uptight, but it's like he loosens up around Britney and then, when Mike comes into the picture, he's back to being a robot."

"Well, whatever his deal is, he's at the bar trying to drown it I think." Theo hinted disapprovingly

"Ah let him, we all worked on this party for months, the least he can do is enjoy it his way…"

Little did they know just how much Simon was actually trying to drown out his feelings. Ten months had done little to make him feel any better about the whole deal, and the fact that Britney had personally appointed him to be the main wedding planner for her and Mike only made it worse. Nevertheless, he had done his best, and now was his chance to just let it all go in the hopes that he could kill enough brain cells to forget about everything before sophomore year of college.

"Hey man, I think you've had enough of the Scotch," the bartender suggested, moving for the bottle Simon had his hands around like a vise.

"I'll be done with it when I say I'm done with it," he slurred back angrily, he had finally guzzled enough to lose the feeling in his feet. So he figured about another bottle of Jack Daniels should do it for him to forget why he was there in the first place… or he'd poison himself, either way…

As he gazed down the neck of the glass container into the sea of amber liquid, he noticed a white shape behind him in his reflection. He turned around and saw none other than the blushing bride standing there with a worried, motherly look on her face.

"Simon, what are you doing?" she asked, not so much chiding as she was probing, "You were never a heavy drinker, and here you are with a mostly empty bottle of the hard stuff?"

"What can I say beautiful, it's a _**great **_day, I'm celebrating." He answered, sarcasm dripping off his tongue. "Oh, and by the way, _**congratulations…**_ I wish you both the best…" he spat the last words out like they were poison on his lips.

"Well thank you," she answered, ignoring the tone, "I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things, but I don't think I would get through to you the way you are at the moment."

"Now what makes you think that?" he asked, glaring into the mirror over the bar. "I'm as happy as the rest of the schmucks here."

"Simon!" Britney replied, "That was uncalled for and you know it!"

"Oh please, you don't love Mike, I can tell. You did what you always said you hated… you settled for a guy with a decent set of looks, a car that isn't beat up, and he's _**reliable**_. Face it Brit, you just married a guy for the wrong reasons, and I'm telling you this because… well because I still care about you okay?"

"Si… what is going on with you?" she asked, hugging him from behind like she used to when they were in High School and he would be stressed out of his mind.

"You want to know what's wrong with me Brit?" he responded, spinning to look at her through tear reddened eyes. "I am pissed at _**YOU**_. You broke my heart, that day. And I've played nice all the way up till now, but damnit I'm fed up with this bullshit performance I have to put on so your _**perfect day**_ is completely _**perfect **_for you and your_** perfect**_ new husband."

"Okay then," she responded, a small tear forming at the corner of her eye "You have definitely had WAY too much to drink. I'm taking you to your room. Just wait right here while I go and get Mike to help me out."

"Oh joy, mister wonderful is coming to the rescue…" he grumbled, but nevertheless staying put and sipping quietly from the remainder of the bottle.

When Britney and Mike came over, Simon was emphatically explaining time travel to the otherwise zoned out bartender. "I'm telling you," he said, "If it was possible to go to the past, then either any changes to the timeline have already happened or else it is impossible to make a change to it or else we would already regard it as the present."

"You weren't kidding when you said he'd had too much." Mike whispered to his new wife, "Is he always this… interesting after a bottle of Jack?"

"This is the first time I've really seen him drunk." Britney admitted, "Even if we went to the bar together with the gang, he would still cut himself off… I just think he needs to rest in his room for the night."

"Good plan," he agreed, stepping towards the inebriated genius.

"BACK OFF!" Simon yelled, spinning around when he felt Mike's hand on his shoulder, "If I could feel my legs right now I'd kick your ass just for having the balls to exist." He slurred.

"Simon," Britney started, trying not to laugh after that last comment "Can you stand up?"

"Hell yeah I can stand up." He answered, "And I can walk too…" he continued, putting one foot out and falling flat on his face.

Britney and Mike bent over to pick him up off the floor and helped him to his feet. When he was up and almost fully supported by the two most important people in the hall, the first words out of his mouth were "Oww… Why the fuck does marble have to be so damn hard?..."

"What room are you in again?" Britney asked as she and her husband helped to carry his drunk behind out the doors and towards the elevator in the hotel lobby.

"314… that's Pi," he answered, his head lolling to the side "Do you know what Pi is?" he asked Mike.

"Yeah, it's that one number that goes on forever…" he answered.

"Oooh, you hooked a _**smart**_ one Brit. Pi is the number that goes on forever… dumbass." He replied, glaring at the tiles as his head hung limp between their shoulders.

"Chill out Simon, he's smart, he's just not as big into math and science as you. Nobody is really…" Britney replied grunting slightly under his almost dead weight.

"Well, whatever, God I wish those tiles would stop moving and giving me a headache!" he exclaimed as they got on the elevator.

"Are you going to be alright by yourself in your room?" Mike asked, seriously concerned by Simon's condition.

"I'll be fine mister Einstein," Simon reassured him. "This is just what happens when alcohol is consumed en masse by someone with light bodyweight and a really, _**really**_ low tolerance. I think I have an app that will tell you the meaning of the phrase _en masse_ if you're confused."

"Okay, here's your floor Simon," Brit interrupted, dragging half of him out the door, anxious to get him somewhere where he could sleep all this off.

"You're friend is honestly the smartest, strangest drunk I have ever seen." Mike commented as Simon fished his card key out of his pocket and tried to pick the door jam with it.

When Britney and Mike finally convinced him to give them the key and they opened his room door, Simon was sliding down the doorway and his eyelids were drooping almost all the way shut. They picked up his limp form and hauled him onto the bed. He looked like such a sad sight that Britney actually started to take his shoes off and pull the comforter over his inebriated frame. Suddenly, his eyelids shot open and he started to speak almost soberly.

"Quick, I have to tell you something." He said, motioning to Mike, "Come here… closer, now, I want you to be absolutely clear on a couple of things…You see that girl?" he asked, pointing at Britney, "I love her with all my heart. I am still not over her, but that's okay because she seems happy with you. I don't see why, but if she's happy then I am too. Now, if you do anything to hurt her, or mess with her, husband or not, I will personally come over to wherever the hell you are and I will make you regret the day you decided to do her any wrong at all."

"Okay man, but I love her too, and I would never do anything to hurt her." Mike promised.

"And Britney," he said motioning to her at the end of the bed, "I just want you to know, I have never regretted anything more than letting you go all those years ago. I hope you're happy with him. But please do me a favor, just remember that I loved you then, and I love you now. You are without a doubt, the most precious thing in this world to me…" he said as he fell back onto the pillow and started snoring.

As they got up to leave the room, Britney paused by the light switch and looked back at the passed out form of her best friend and smiled. She had learned a lot that night. And she would remember it for a long time yet to come.

_**There it is folks, you are now officially halfway done with this story. Don't worry how it looks, this is NOT the ending just yet. Not by a long shot. In any case, I was delighted to see the reviews for the first part, hopefully this time everyone that reads this will review. Well, I'm finishing this up at about 3:30 in the morning so I'm not really in a great mindset to be writing epilogues, just the usual, stay awesome, READ AND REVIEW NOW! And uh, yeah, that's about it. Any questions go to my PM box if you don't mind. And look for the next chapter whenever I get done. Each one takes me about one day or two to write for this story. Just ALERT it and you'll be up to date.**_

Happy Reading,

Musicalreader


	3. Chapter 3

_**Mistakes and Miracles**_

Part 3 of 4

**Trust and Second Chances**

It was that time of the year again, Simon and his brothers were going to be another year older pretty soon, and he was sure that Theodore would be calling to remind him just like he had the year before; just like he had when he had heard about the wedding… Simon had been trying for the last three months to forget about the wedding and the massive hangover the morning after, but ever since Britney stepped back into his life the previous year, he had had absolutely no luck. It was odd, he thought to himself, that he could have gone years at a time without thinking about her, but with one phone call, she was able to make him hurt for a whole year without even trying… just then, the phone rang on his desk.

"Hey Theo, let me guess, you called to remind me about our birthday?" he said after he picked up the phone, not bothering to even glance at the caller ID.

"Simon?" the voice on the other end answered, "I need you to meet me…now."

"Britney?" he sputtered out, surprised to hear her voice, "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me… listen, I need to talk to someone right now. Would you meet me at a bar? It's kind of an emergency." She continued, her voice straining against the receiver.

"Are you okay? Sure, I'll meet you there…which bar?" he asked, those being but a few of the questions whizzing through his head while he spoke to her.

"I just walked into the _Half Full_ bar… I swear, someone up there is laughing at me." She commented.

"Okay then, Half Full bar, I'm heading there right now. Do me a favor and don't move." He instructed.

"Heh, don't worry, I'll wait for you…" she told him, sounding distant as she said it.

Simon paused when she said that, but then the line went dead and he got his jacket and headed out the front doors of his office to head out for an early lunch break…

When he pulled up to the curb outside the downtown bar, he saw Britney sitting at a booth and staring off into the distance. He went inside and sat down across from her. Britney had been crying and the empty glasses around her suggested that she had been drinking for a little while before he showed up. He called her name and she looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time.

"Hey Brit, are you alright?" he asked.

She sniffled and smiled at him, "You're quite possibly the dumbest smart person I've ever met Simon, you know that?" she responded.

"And by that you mean?"

"Well, obviously if I'm crying I'm not okay." she answered, laughing a little hysterically.

Simon stared at her, wondering if he was this strange when he was drunk. Then she surprised him by speaking out of nowhere…

"You were right you know…" she told him, staring into her drink dejectedly.

"What was I right about?" he asked, now totally confused by where she was going with this whole meeting.

"Mike… you were right about him. The night of the reception, do you remember anything about it?"

"Uhhh, the only thing I remember about the reception is going to it and waking up in my room with a living headache for the rest of the day." He confessed.

"Heh, I'm not surprised by that actually, given all you had at the reception, I'm surprised you can even remember going to it. But I'm not talking about that… well, I sort of am, but I'm talking about something you said after you were almost done with a bottle of scotch. You told me that I was marrying Mike for the wrong reasons, that I didn't love him and had settled."

"Ah shit, Britney, I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean anything I said that night. I don't think so anyway…" he tried to explain, but was shut down by Britney grabbing his hand.

"You were right though Simon. I married him because I wanted something more out of life and I thought that marrying him would give it to me." She said, tears falling down her cheeks as she said it.

"How was I right?" he asked again, "Look, I remember how he looked at you before the wedding, he loved you and you clearly loved him." The words stung his lips as he spoke them. He hated the love he had seen between them. He had wanted her to look at him like that…

"You called it." she said simply, "I made a mistake marrying him. I thought he was this genuine, nice guy that would be there for me. But you know what I just found out?" she asked rhetorically.

"What happened?" he responded, "I have no clue why you're even in here. Why don't you tell me what exactly happened between you two?"

"Did you know we were trying to have kids?" she asked, ignoring his confusion, "I almost started a family with that asshole…"

"What do you mean _almost_?"

"I took off from the studio early today and surprise him at home so we could try again, we've been trying to have kids for a while now, and I thought that this would be the right time for it. so I get home and there he is…" she said, starting to cry openly again.

"What was he doing?" he asked, a horrible idea popping into his mind's eye as she spoke.

"He was up to his balls in our neighbor!" she practically howled into her arms as she threw her head down on the table, her body shaking from the tears she was shedding.

Simon's expression instantly changed from one of concern to absolute fury. "How did you find out?" he asked, trying to get as much information out of her so he could figure out how to make Mike suffer the most.

"I walked in and heard him in the bedroom, I walked to the doorway quietly and I heard another voice…there was giggling and moaning, so I cracked the door…and I saw them…I almost started a family with that fucking creep." She lamented.

"Could you wait here for a little while whilst I go and kick his ass?" Simon asked, getting up from his seat and heading for the exit, only to be stopped by Britney putting her hand in front of him and stopping him.

"Don't do that Simon." She begged, "I'm already upset. I don't need you to get arrested on top of it all."

"Why did you call me over here than?" he asked, turning on her, his eyes ablaze with anger and confusion.

"Because I realized something…the reason I'm not completely upset that he cheated on me, the reason I know I made a mistake. Even though it's been years, I never started loving him because I never stopped loving you." she explained.

When he heard this, his world practically came to a shuddering halt. He had been hurting for almost a whole year because of how he felt for her. And the fear that she would never feel the same for him terrified him to the point of blackout drunkenness on the day of her wedding. But here she was saying that she felt the same for him. Was he supposed to feel happy? Was it wrong to feel vindicated?

"I love you Simon. I never stopped." She continued, trying to drive the point home.

Simon sighed and finally told her what he had known for a while now, "I never stopped loving you either Britney. Never…"

They looked at each other and smiled. They knew that they had finally found what they were looking for.

Britney came home after lunch and found Mike sitting in his chair in the living room.

"Hey honey, you're home early. You want some lunch?" he offered.

"Don't play sweet with me." She said from the doorway, "Look, I know you're screwing around behind my back. Don't deny it. I saw you this morning. It's over."

"Wh…wait a min… why?" he sputtered out, trying to save face.

"Didn't you hear me?" she replied, "I want a divorce. I don't want any of your stuff, just a clean break. If you ever felt anything for me at all, even in the beginning, you'll do this for me so I can move on and you can move in with what's her name."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, grasping at straws, "I'll go to therapy if you want, but if you really want this there's no going back."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. I want this sham over with." She answered.

"Fine, but tell me this," Mike asked, "Will a divorce really make you happy?"

Britney turned away and a tear trailed down her cheek as she smiled and replied, "Yes, getting out of this will finally make me happy."

_**There it is folks; all but the final chapter has been written. And the next installment should be available sometime around Sunday. Please, if you really like this story, REVIEW IT! And, if you want to see some of the other stuff I've written, go to my profile page. Also, a side announcement; **_Getting to Know You_** will resume after Part 4 of this story. So there's something to look forward to. Any questions, please send them to me via Private Message. As always…**_

Happy Reading,

Musicalreader


	4. Chapter 4

_**Mistakes and Miracles**_

Part 4 of 4

**New Life…**

A week after Britney revealed that she knew about Mike's faithlessness, their marriage was officially annulled and they parted ways. Mike stayed in the house, and Britney went to live with Simon after he offered. They have been dating for three months…

"Hey beautiful…" Simon greeted with the same smile he had worn for the last three months.

Britney walked over and kissed him playfully on the cheek, "You're late Simon. I was worried I'd be eating alone tonight. Which would have been a shame for you, because I have an extra special _dessert_ planned." She teased, motioning to the can of Reddi Whip on the counter.

"Hmm, well, as delicious as that sounds, I have a feeling you're going to be wanting to pack tonight." He said cryptically.

"And why would I do that?" she asked.

"Because we need to get on a plane at eight tomorrow morning to Raleigh North Carolina." He answered plainly.

"What's in Raleigh?" Britney continued, clearly not satisfied with the puzzling answer from before.

"What if I told you that your favorite band is playing live in Raleigh on Sunday night?"

"I'd say that's nice but what does that have to do with me?" she replied.

"Well, as it turns out, the head technician for AC/DC owes me a favor and sent me two front row tickets to see them." He answered, holding up the two pieces of paper.

Britney tackled her boyfriend to the ground in the most intense embrace he had ever experienced. When she was done screaming _thankyouthankyouthankyou_ in his ear, she got up and ran off into the bedroom to pack her clothes for the concert. While she was out of the room, Simon reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the tiny velvet covered box. He wished that Sunday would get there sooner…

Two days later, Britney was in heaven. Her favorite band was playing, the man she loved was right beside her, and they were both able to literally reach out and touch Angus Young… just when she thought things couldn't get any better, right after _**You Shook Me All Night Long**_, Angus walked over to the edge of the stage and actually jumped down in front of Britney and Simon.

"Hey, I heard from Tyler that you have something you wanted to ask her." He said, addressing Simon, "So you know what, why don't I give you the mic and you do it man?"

Simon took the offered mic and got down on one knee, "Britney," he began, the stadium venue falling dead silent, "You are the most beautiful thing in my life. I love you now more than I ever imagined a person could. And just like they sang, you shook me, not just all night, but always. So Britney, will you marry me?" he asked, pulling out the small box.

Tears of joy were streaming down her face and she choked out "Yes, i want to be with you forever Simon."

Angus took the Mic back from Simon so he could slip on the ring, and when that was done and he stood up to kiss his new fiancée, the crowd burst out in cheers and applause more resonant than the loudest song the band could have hoped to play. But the only thing that Simon and Britney heard was the breath of the other as they kissed and drifted off piece by piece into each other's arms.

Four months later, they were married in a small service attended almost exclusively by their siblings and their respective parents. For their honeymoon, they went to Florida where they soon after decided to move to permanently. Months passed by quickly with the new, happy couple living blissfully in their quiet house by the beach. Simon went to work at the local university doing what he had always loved, biochemical engineering. Britney also started to record again, this time making an album of almost exclusively love songs. Finally, one sunny day…

Simon was enjoying the sun on the patio overlooking the beach when Britney snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Well hello there." He greeted, looking up and smiling at his beautiful wife.

"Hey handsome," she returned, also smiling, "You know, I've been thinking." She started.

"Oh shit…" Simon muttered, "What about?"

"Well, we've been a married couple for what… six months now?" she started.

"Yeah." He answered dreamily, "Six months of heaven."

"Well, I was thinking, what is it married couples do after a while?"

"You mean we should start fighting?" Simon answered jokingly, getting a light slap to the head in the process.

"No," Britney chided while Simon rubbed his head, "I meant kids… I want to have kids Simon." She said plainly.

At this, Simon grew silent for a minute or two. "You think we're ready?" he asked.

"Simon," Britney said, sitting down in his lap and looking into his eyes, "I've wanted to be a mother since I was 20… and now, we're almost 30. I want us to have a family."

"But do you think I'd be a good dad?" he asked, genuine concern shadowing across his face.

"I know you'd be the best dad in the world." She reassured him, kissing him gently on the lips.

"Babe," he started, "I want you to be happy. And if you think I'll be a good dad, then what are we still doing out here on the deck?" he then stood up and cradled her in his arms as he walked inside and headed for the bedroom. Truly, better days were ahead of them…

_**Hope the ending was good enough for you. You know the drill, you read it, you review it. That goes for everyone. Positive and negative comments alike. I know that this is not my best work, but I hope I at least got one person to enjoy the ride. Updates for **_Getting to Know You_** will resume sometime starting on the 16**__**th**__**. If you have any questions, please send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as I see it.**_

Happy Reading,

musicalreader


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